Symi Blues and Golds

Early morning sunshine gilds the old stones of a neglected mansion on the Kali Strata.

A pocket handkerchief rose garden in Chorio.

A serene face looks out from the pediment of a mansion on the Kali Strata.

Early morning departure from Pedi.

Bees pollinating prickly pears in Chorio.

I spotted this cat taking the early morning air in an abandoned house in Chorio.

The merchants of Symi admired the louvred shutters of France but louvres are expensive to make and maintain so they came up with this poor man's alternative by nailing overlapping slats onto a base.  While you don't get the air flow, they are a lot easier to maintain as the inside is completely smooth and they don't let in the clouds of summer dust either.

Morning glory in a wild garden near the high school at the corner of the Kali Strata.

Colours and textures on the Kali Strata.

Sheep may safely graze - a flock winding along a path through the Pedi valley.

May is drawing to a close and many things have happened, including the loss of our friend, Wendy's partner, Ged Horton. There was a tremendous turn out for the funeral on Wednesday and it was gratifying to see how many people made an effort to be there, including two friends who came from England for the day to show their support.  Many local businesses even closed for a few hours so that the owners or staff could attend.  Symiots and expats alike mourned together and celebrated together. Symi is like that.

The island is getting busier although Symi is still a lot quieter for May than it was even a year ago.  The islands with airports and big resort hotels are picking up some of the slack as nervous tourists look for an alternative to Turkish Aegean resorts but the quieter niche market islands like Symi that require a bit more time and effort to reach and don't have the facilities to attract package holiday companies remain quiet with lower booking rates than they enjoyed before the financial crisis. Many of the people visiting Symi at the moment are either regular visitors or are friends and relations of regular visitors who are highly motivated to come here.  Even the holiday companies like Olympic Holidays that used to be full from early May have very few people on Symi these days.  If you are looking for a quiet, uncrowded holiday destination, it seems as though Symi might well be it!

If you are thinking of a last minute June holiday please email us on symi-vis@otenet.gr for information about availability and rates.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

  

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Ged Horton - Words Are Not Enough

Words are not enough to say what we are all feeling at the moment as we mourn the passing of Ged Horton, Wendy's much-loved partner and life's companion who died in an ICU in Crete on Friday afternoon.

Generous to a fault, Ged loved cooking for friends and also gave generously of his time, cooking meals for refugees on Symi during the recent refugee crisis in the border islands. If he thought you would enjoy a particular book or film, he wouldn't just lend you his copy - he'd buy you one of your own and we all benefited from his largesse. After his retirement he devoted a lot of time to the enjoyment and making of music of all kinds and was also an ardent support of Symi's cultural life.  He may have been Wendy's partner but he was also an active member of the community in his own right and will be sorely missed.

The funeral will be taking place in the morning of Wednesday 25 May. Ged will be arriving on the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran at 9.20 and will be accompanied around the harbour to the bus stop where those who don't have their own transport will take the 10 a.m. bus to Pedi.  The funeral will take place at St Timothy's, the little church that is part of the cemetery in Pedi.  After the service and interment there will be a celebration of his life at Bulmas cafeneion on the square in Chorio.  If you are on Symi at the time, you are welcome to join us.

  

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New Exhibition Opening at the Symi Gallery Tonight 1 August 2104

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It's All Happening on Symi

The peaceful pebbled yard of St John's church in Yialos.



Pedi bay is virtually empty these days now that the main holidays are over.



The only other pedestrian I saw on the Kali Strata this morning was a solitary calico cat.



Most of the neo-classical houses lining the amphitheatre harbour have balconies or terraces with views of Yialos. The television aerial on this one is an unusual touch as these days there are so few terrestrial channels available that most people have satellite dishes.



When the Stani ice cream man arrived on Symi a few years ago there was something of an aesthetic outcry but nowadays he is accepted as another quirky part of the Symi landscape.



There is a new photographic exhibition opening this evening at the Symi Dream Gallery from 5 p.m. onwards.  Everyone is welcome.  Please join us for a glass of wine.
Poster by Jordan Blakesley - Symi Art.  Based on a photograph by Ged Horton.

It's all happening on Symi at the moment.  Apart from the opening of the Travels with my Camera, an exhibition of photography by Ged Horton, the nail biting is over as the necessary funds have been raised through Kickstarter for the filming of The Judas Curse, a horror film to be shot in the back alleys and ruins of upper Chorio in October.  The screenplay is by local resident writer James Collins.  It is hoped that this film with its well known cast will bring the island some much needed publicity and revenue in these difficult times and also open up new opportunities for employment for the island's young people as it is intended that this will be the first film of many.  Many thanks to all of you who have contributed to this project.

Dodecanese Seaways have now put up their ferry schedule to 27 October which effectively takes us to the end of the season.  Sometimes I really do wonder where the months have gone!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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